East Lansing Rotary Club President Katie Donovan said the project's planning stages began in 2010. During the initial planning stages, the committee took a look back in the park's history and tried to "re-imagine" Patriarche Park.

Now that most of the renovation project is complete, Donovan said the East Lansing Rotary Club and the City of East Lansing are still reaching out to community members for donations so that their goal of $570,000  can be reached. Additional donations will go toward constructing a natural play area.

In addition to donations, community members have had the option of purchasing a brick paver to be installed in the entryway of the park.

Donovan said bricks are still being added to the entryway. 300 bricks have been purchased and there are still 500 bricks yet to be sold.

Bricks cost $100 for a 4 inch by 8 inch bring and $150 for a 8 inch by 8 inch brick.

Donovan said one of the unique things about the renovated park is that it is handicap accessible. Patrons can not only bring a wheelchair around the surface of the park, but a wheelchair can go all the way to the top of the playground structure.

Picturing the overall result was difficult in the beginning stages, but now that the park has come together, Donovan is content with the way everything turned out.

"It was so hard because I was on the committee...you could never really imagine it," she said.

East Lansing resident Joanne Weidig  volunteered during the community build. She said the committee put five or six people who didn't know each other in a group, and each group was given parts of the playground structure to piece together.

"It was a real nice way to get to know other people in the neighborhood," Weidig said. "I really enjoyed it."

Donovan told Weidig she liked how the volunteers were required to wear name tags on the front and back so everyone could know each other by the end of the community build.

Weidig was impressed with the different ways kids can climb up the structure. She said the playground will trigger creativity.

"I can't wait to play on it myself," Weidig said.

Several kids waited patiently under the pavilion Monday afternoon for the rain to stop so they could finally test out the playground.

8-year-old Annabell DiMaggio  said she came to Patriarche Park several times with her school before the renovations began.

"I thought it was going to be smaller, but it's actually bigger," DiMaggio said. "I really want to try the (spinning) mushroom."

While some kids came to try out the park with their parents, several others came along with the City of East Lansing summer camp

Elementary Education senior Shelby Keller , who is a supervisor for the City of East Lansing camp, distracted the kids with ice cream until the rained stopped.

"The kids are vey excited about the new playground," Keller said.

Once the committee's goal of $570,000 is reached, Donovan said there will be sign installed in the grand entrance with all the names of the 2014 donors.